Vehicles typically include at least one outside mirror which enables the driver to see along the side of the vehicle towards the rear of the vehicle thereby permitting the driver to see obstacles to the rear and side of the vehicle when reversing. The outside mirror also enables the driver to see traffic approaching from the rear of the vehicle when maneuvering, such as when the driver changes lanes and the like. In addition to permitting the driver to view both obstacles and oncoming traffic, the outside rear view mirror, when properly adjusted, may also give the driver a frame of reference with respect to the rear of the vehicle. This occurs when the outside mirror is adjusted such that the rear of the vehicle is visible in at least a portion of the surface of the mirror.
Properly orienting the mirror to maximize the rearward field of view while establishing a rearward frame of reference with respect to the rear of the vehicle may be easily accomplished with outside mirrors having convex glass surfaces. However, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards require that the left hand or driver's side outside mirror contain a flat glass. The use of a flat glass may make properly adjusting the mirror to maximize the rearward field of view while establishing a frame of reference with respect to the rear of the vehicle challenging for some drivers. Often times the driver's side outside mirror is adjusted too far inward (towards the vehicle) which, in turn, causes too much of the driven vehicle to appear in the mirror and too little of the adjacent lane and/or passing vehicles. This mirror adjustment results in blind spots outboard of the vehicle and, as such, does not provide the driver with sufficient information about vehicles in the adjacent lane before making lane change maneuvers.
Accordingly, a need exists for alternative methods for adjusting the outside mirrors of vehicles to maximize field of view and provide a frame of reference for the driver with respect to the rear of the vehicle.